Washington’s ‘Mockingbird’ Tributes

Forget the Mockingjay, the hybrid birdie from “The Hunger Games” trilogy that symbolized hope and perseverance. Check out the old-school Mockingbird, as in the classic “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Starting today, Washington will give you all a chance to reflect on the Harper Lee novel that every American high schooler reads and the movie that produced the American Film Institute’s “greatest hero in the history of American film” — Atticus Finch, played immortally by the late Gregory Peck.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film’s release, President Barack Obama is hosting a screening today at the White House Family Theater for some school kids (hopefully, they’ve read the book already) and some other guests. On Saturday, he’ll introduce a televising of the film on USA Network.

But wait, there’s more. Later this month, on April 29, the Avalon Theatre in Northwest D.C. will screen the documentary “Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.'” Honorary co-chairmen such as former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), who now runs the Motion Picture Association of America, and host Susan Stamberg, of NPR fame, will be on hand for the hors d’oeuvres, screening and panel discussion.

It’s hard to imagine Katniss Everdeen getting these kinds of props, even in 50 years.